Joe Barton: “I am reminded of a story that President Abraham Lincoln used to tell. Somebody was about to be hung and the crowd was…”

“I am reminded of a story that President Abraham Lincoln used to tell. Somebody was about to be hung and the crowd was gathering on the town square and they asked the gentleman about to be hung if he had any last remarks; and he said, if it were not for the honor of the occasion, he would just as soon not be there. If it were not for the honor of having my amendment singled out to be struck from the bill, I would just as soon not be here. I am the author of the amendment to change the name of the National Science Foundation to the National Science and Engineering Foundation. Admittedly, it was a close vote, 23 to 22, but it still was an affirmative vote. I think it is very important that we recognize engineering for its contributions to the American society. Our first President, George Washington, was a practicing engineer. Even in this century, we have had engineering Presidents like President Hoover and President Carter. There are over 6 million practicing engineers in our Nation. So engineers are not a part of science, they are a separate discipline. If you go to any major research university in this country, they have a school of engineering that is separate and apart from their science departments. We have a National Academy of Sciences. We have a National Academy of Engineering.”